Predictability and repeat-ability are not stuff of boredom but rather of comfort. Predictable results when drinking wine: conversation flows, laughs come easily and kids frolic and play. Predictable results when hanging with good friends: conversation flows, laughs come easily and kids frolic and play. Who wouldn’t want to repeat that?
While we’ve been enjoying some pretty awesome weather and family time the real purpose of the trip is to celebrate Aric’s 40th birthday.
Beautiful house in Sonoma big enough for 11 adults and 6 kids: check
As if our children didn’t prove themselves on the flight we put them to the test with a full day of wine tasting. Our second stop was Alpha Omega, a favorite of ours from our Napa trip last July. With the patio to ourselves we enjoyed a leisurely tasting with lunch. 
Our Valentine’s Day could not be more perfect, starting our day with a sky full of sun and a beautiful drive to Domaine Carneros.
A prison on an island, what could be more intriguing for a six year old? Especially after a cub scout sponsored visit to a local police station where all Lucas could ask was “Where is the jail?” To add to the mystery, Alcatraz was veiled in fog on this particular Thursday morning.
Drowning in the cold and gray of an endless winter we are more than ready to fly away. California lives up to every expectation with sunny skies, warm weather and palm trees. We all survive the cross country flight with barely a wrinkle and adapt immediately to the extra hours we’ve gained. Pause for a deep deep breath of fresh air.
California dreamin’ indeed
If I could speak a new language I would speak child. I would climb into their little heads and see how they process what they feel and react with their gut, how they take something they see and turn it into something they do and how they deal with the millions of impulses coursing through their little beings. I would know that crying means “I’m sad” or “I’m disappointed” or “I’m pissed”. I would know that hitting and snatching can sometimes be an outcome of insecurity, that clingy-ness is an expression of fear and tantrums are a misdirection of emotion, or just plain fatigue. I would also know that singing and dancing and smiling are the most beautiful expressions of happiness, contentment and safety.
Just as I am learning their language they are learning mine.
Tagged: Lake Anne Nursery Kindergarten, LANK, pre-school, Reston
When asked to decorate their heart with pieces of paper most kids created a random collage while Oliver created a house. (It’s hard to tell in this image but the pieces are glued to a white heart)
Love,
Oliver
Love,
Penny
This boy knows his parents. Anthony, better get going on P90X.
If I lived in the era of Prohibition I’d love it. I’d revel in it just like the characters of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”. “The Great Gatsby” was one of the few books I read in high school that I truly enjoyed. I recall dissecting the characters, the significance of the debauchery and the unraveling of Gatsby. As I re-read this book as a 38 year old what I had previously viewed with disdain I now viewed with awe: the decadence, the idealism, the excess, I want in!
Thanks to Yono for one night I drank in excess, danced with all the beautiful ladies and men, laughed till my belly hurt and partied like its 1922.
Anthony and I share many loves; our love for each other, our love for our children and our love for food and drink. We will travel and we will pay for something new, something different, something spectacular. To celebrate Anthony’s birthday we decided to check out the relatively new Le Diplomate in the bustling, restaurant and bar heavy 14th Street corridor.
Le Diplomate is getting a lot of buzz and was personally recommended by a good friend with similar tastes so I went in with high expectations and it did not disappoint. From the decor to the waitstaff to the other patrons, Le Diplomate is upscale but not stuffy. The place was packed, on a snowy Wednesday evening, but the noise level was surprisingly low. We started with the foie gras parfait which was perfectly creamy and balanced and steak tartare which was fresh and vibrant. For entrees I had the roasted scallops with truffle sabayon and Anthony had moules frites. Everything was absolutely delicious and paired perfectly with their cocktails and house wine. We celebrated another year lived and another year loved.
